Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1887-12-22
While THE TIDE CAME SLOWLY.

WHILE The Tide GAME SlOWlY,
In the course of long life spen
aboard ship, before the mast, as mat,
aud as commander, have seen man,
things which are full of interest; but
in all my cruising here and there,
never came nearer losing the number
OF my mess than once in the Sandwich
Islands. The natives are set down 10y
travellers as the most artless, confid ne
creatures on the face of the earth, bui
as for me, j rate them, as q rule, as the
biggest rascals and liars the world has
ever seen. This time l speak of, the
bark Connecticut had run into Honolulu
from a whaling voyage, and, as the old
man had nearly racked the sticks ont
of her in the North Pacific, he made
up his mind that it wouldn't do to &c
to sea again without new topmasts, and
while he was about it, he thought il
just as we'll to give the carpenters a
chance to give her thorough over
hauling, and as 1 had nothing better
to do i thought I'd get a boat and run
over to the other island, and see a part
of the country whaler never gets q
chance At, for the reason that every
thing we have to get can be found at
Honolulu, and never came down yet
to sailing in trader among the island
ers.
l was a young chap then, and, like
all tars, pretty face would play the
devil with me, and / was sweet on a
little Kanaka girl who used to come to
tho chr. NTH broad f.,,,k Che xuoa m
beauty, "brown, but comely," as the
saying is, with melting brown eyes,
and lips that seemed just made for
kisses. l reckon got up pretty lively
Irritation with her, and it didn't seem
to suit a big Kanaka who sometimes
came in the canoe with her. Jim Rem
sen noticed it, and spoke to me.
See here, Jack" he said, II know
I'm regularly in the line of promotion,
and if you was to slip out I'd be Sec
ond mate of this barky, but / don't
want it bad enough to let that big
Kanaka slip knife under your short
ribs. He'll do it, sure, if you fool
around that pretty girl too much"
l looked the Kanaka over as Jim
pointed him out, and a murderous,
hang dog looking scoundrel he was, too.
He'd been i'll some fight and got cut
beeaannFy bbeanlFS WORTH cent. '''' ="
But, as / say, was young fellow
then, and pretty confident 1 could
whale any Kanaka on the islands, and l
didn't pay much attention; so just to
rile the Banaka the next time l was
ashore l took handsome string OF
beads and gave them to the girl right
before the Kanaka. She put them on,
and was aduiiring them like the child
she was, when Kaloola, tho Kanaka, ran
up, snatched them from her neck and
trampled them under his feet. OF
course / knocked him down on the spot,
but he came at me with big knife; so
l lent him kick in his bread-fruit de-
partment that doubled him up like a
jack-knife.
Then l got the knife away from him
and went for him in way that he must
have despised, and when l got through
he looked as if he had been run through
threshing machine.
Luta was wild while it was going on,
and when / had polished him off she
10 me and caught my arm.
"Jack, go away" she cried, in her
pretty broken English. "Never see
Luta again; come no more to Honolulu,
or Kaloola he kill"
tried to persuade her that didn't
care for the brown old cuss, but it was
no use, and / think she was glad when
/ hired Kanaka next day to take me
over to the other island.
We went in one of the native boats,
and / tell you they are flyers.
/ don't think ever enjoyed q run sc
much, and L was half tempted to say
I'd cut sailing, take little Luta for 9
wife, and settle down to peace and lazi
ness among the Kanakas.
Two or three times on the run over
sighted two other canoes, bound the
same way we were, one quite little
astern of the other.
We landed at a native MerGi POh
and while my Kanaka was rubbing
noses with his friends, and generally
enjoying himself, took walk along
the sandy beach, and did not stop unit
had made two or three miles.
Then sat down under a palm tree
on the beach and lit my pipe, while
looked out across the sunny sea.
It was a pleasant picture, too. From
where 1 sat / could see the native vii
lage, its white huts, embowered il
vine and leaf, with the tappa-clothec
women running about among the dwell
ings.
Perhaps q mile away, upon a sandy
beach, number of native women were
bathing, and it was delightful to SO,
the grace with which they passed
through the waves breaking on tn,
coral reefs, ducking and diving like
mermaids, their merry laughter coming
to me even at that distance.
Looking at this pleasant picture,
forgot the lapse Of time, and nearl,
two hours passed.
Suddenly 1 heard step and hal
| turned to see who was coming, when
crashing blow fell on my head and
| lost my senses.
When l came to myself 1 was in
boat, lying on my back, hands and fee
bound, and a gag in my mouth.
Twisting my head so that could
see, what was my horror TO see the ruf
fan Kaloola sitting in the stern, han
ding the sheets, while he looked at m
with q glance which meant no mercy.
strike Kalooka, ha; talk to Lut
and give her shining beads to steal he
heart? The white sailor shall die"
/ never felt smaller or meancr in m,
| life.
IL wasn't possible for q man to shrinl
| into smaller compass than i did as